Never Let Them See You Cry (A One Shot Story from Four of a Kind)
by KashmirLZ
Summary: Frankie and Will realize how important it is to work as partners both in the field and at home.


The twins had just had their four month old shots. Both babies had been colicky lately, so Frankie made sure they both received a thorough exam, just to be on the safe side. Ayden and Bella both passed their check-up with flying colors and the doctor told her that the colic was just a phase they should soon be over. This was a relief to both Frankie and Erin, as the entire house was sleep deprived from two very cranky babies.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok if I go?", Erin asked Frankie as they loaded the twins in the car.

"Erin, I'll be fine. Now that we're sure it's just colic I feel much better. Go, help mom and dad. Will and I can handle things while you're gone.", Frankie reassured her.

Richard had just had surgery and Laurie asked Erin if she would mind coming back home to help with Richard until he was able to get back on his feet. Laurie didn't anticipate it taking any longer than a week but knew she couldn't do any heavy lifting by herself. Erin wanted to help but was understandably hesitant to leave, considering the situation with the twins. She had them during the day but Will and Frankie were taking turns at night, getting up and trying to comfort them as soon as they started crying. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for their colic but when one started, the other chimed in, in what seemed like a competition to see who could cry the longest and loudest. As a result, no one had really had a good night's sleep in nearly a week.

* * *

When they arrived home, Frankie fed Ayden and Bella and Erin helped her get them down for a nap. She called Will to give him an update.

"Hey, Franks. How are the twins?", Will asked as he answered the phone.

"Well, the good news is they passed their exams with no problems. The bad news is the colic is a phase they have to just go through. There's really nothing we can give them that will help. Oh, and they had their shots today so they may be extra cranky from the vaccinations. Erin asked again if we wanted her to stay but I told her between the two of us we can handle it. Your mom really needs the help and I mean, it's just a little extra crying. We can manage. How bad can it get?", Frankie relayed to Will.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home with you during the day to help?", Will asked.

"No, listen. As much as I'd love nothing more than for you to be here all day with us, we just got the company up and running. This contract we're under is too important to screw it up. I've got this. Plus, I know you're just a phone call away. I'm their mom Will, I can handle it.", Frankie insisted.

"Trust me Frankie, if anyone can handle this situation, it's you. I love and miss you guys. I'll be home later.", Will said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. We love and miss you too. See you soon.", Frankie said before hanging up.

Frankie then walked to Erin's room, who was packing to leave later that night. Erin ran down the daily schedule with Frankie again, making Frankie smile at how concerned Erin was about leaving. Erin was so attached to the twins and it was like she was the mom going over the list once more to the babysitter.

"Don't hesitate to call if you need me to come back, ok?", Erin said emphatically.

"Yes, ma'am.", Frankie said while laughing. "Erin, I love how much you are attached to the twins but it's ok, we'll be allright - I promise!"

Erin had her stuff packed and ready to go when Will got home. After dinner, Will took Erin to the airport while Frankie stayed home with the twins.

* * *

Not long after she started cleaning the kitchen, Frankie heard Bella crying on the baby monitor. She rushed to get her, hoping Bella wouldn't wake Ayden with her crying. By the time she got to their room, both Ayden and Bella were crying in unison.

"Ok, ok, it's ok, mama's here.", Frankie reassured them as she put one baby over each shoulder and headed to the living room. She nursed them at the same time, a feat she had mastered now that she was a breastfeeding pro. Once they were fed and changed, Frankie rocked them until they both fell fast asleep. She put them back in their cribs and finished cleaning the kitchen. Not long after, Will returned.

As he walked into the house, Will saw Frankie facing the counter with her back to him. He walked up and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her on her neck and whispering in her ear the way he knew made her weak in the knees.

Frankie turned to face him, planting a long, lingering kiss on his lips.

"Well hello Mrs. Chase.", Will said seductively. "How are the kids?"

"Fed, changed, and fast asleep. I was just getting ready to get in the shower. Care to join me?", Frankie said, her arms still wrapped around Will's neck.

"I thought you'd never ask", Will replied.

"Grab the baby monitor, just in case.", Frankie said.

When they were finished in the shower, Frankie and Will went back into the nursery to check on the twins, who were still fast asleep.

"See, look how sound they are sleeping. I guess it _was_ just a phase they were going through.", Frankie said.

"Yeah, thank goodness that's over with.", Will replied, as they headed to bed.

* * *

The twins did good through the night, only waking up once. Early the next morning, Will kissed Frankie goodbye as he left for work. A couple of hours later, she awoke to the sound of the twins babbling on the baby monitor. As she entered the nursery, Bella and Ayden were awake, cooing and babbling back and forth like they were having their own conversation.

"Good morning my little angels. You both did so good last night. Let's get you changed and fed.", Frankie said to the twins.

After changing the twins, Frankie fed them and put them in their bouncy seats. They loved kicking and reaching for the toys in front of them while in their seats. This also gave Frankie some time to get things done around the house. Things were going smoothly when all of the sudden Bella started crying. Frankie went over and picked her up to calm her down. She checked her diaper, put her over her shoulder in case Bella needed to be burped again, and even rubbed her back, but nothing worked. Not long after, Ayden joined in. Like his sister, nothing Frankie did seemed to console him.

"Great.", Frankie thought to herself. "I guess I spoke too soon about the colic spell being over."

Frankie, with both babies in tow, walked to the sink to turn the water on. Erin told her the sound of the sink running had calmed them down in the past. Once Frankie turned on the water, both babies stopped crying. After about five minutes, Frankie turned the water off. Both Bella and Ayden immediately started crying again. Frankie turned the water on once more, and once again they stopped crying.

"I can't stand here all day with both of them.", Frankie thought to herself.

After five more minutes, Frankie turned the water off again, and, on cue, the twins started crying again.

Frankie walked over to the sofa and tried to nurse both Ayden and Bella. They continued crying and refused to nurse. Frankie tried bouncing them gently as she walked around the house, laying them on her bare chest so they had skin-to-skin contact, turning the vibration on in their bouncy seats, basically anything and everything she could think of, all to no avail.

After two hours of non-stop crying, Frankie was at a loss as to what she should do. She got so anxious that she started to doubt herself as a mother.

"Maybe they don't like me anymore. Maybe they prefer Erin. They don't want me as their mom anymore.", she started thinking to herself, tears rolling down her cheek as both babies cried in her arms.

* * *

When Frankie had to stay home with the twins, Will would pull the cameras from home up on his phone, just to see his wife and kids. He missed them so much when they were apart, even for the day, and checked in on them regularly.

As usual, Will pulled up the cameras to check in on Frankie and the twins. He didn't want to call and wake them if they were napping, so he thought it best to check the cameras first. When he pulled them up, his heart sank. He saw Frankie crying, along with both babies, on the sofa. He scrolled back through the footage and realized they had been colicky all morning. Frankie looked exhausted. He knew she wouldn't call because she was adamant she could handle this. Calling and asking Will for help was like admitting failure and Frankie was not about to do that. Will came up with a plan.

* * *

Back at the house, Frankie decided to try nursing the babies again. This time they latched on and nursed for a while, allowing all of them to get a break from the crying. She looked down at their little faces, red from crying so much, and it broke her heart to see them so upset. Frankie started to talk to them while they nursed.

"Mommy loves you both very much. I'm sorry I don't know what else to do to help you stop crying.", Frankie said as she rubbed Ayden and Bella's cheeks. She then gently brushed their hair down on top of their head with her hand as they continued to nurse. Frankie still had tears in her eyes as she continued to talk to the twins. Exhausted from the crying, the twins eventually fell asleep while they nursed. Frankie, afraid to move them and start the crying cycle all over again, cradled them both as they slept on either side of her propped up on a pillow. She was exhausted too but didn't want to fall asleep with the babies in that position.

* * *

About thirty minutes after the babies fell asleep, Frankie heard someone at the door. She turned to see Will coming in carrying a few bags with him.

"What are you doing home?", Frankie asked, surprised to see him home so early.

"I got to thinking about you three and missed you so I got everything set for the week so I could work from home. I went by the store and picked up a few things I thought might help Ayden and Bella with their colic. I remember Erin saying they liked the sound of the faucet running so I bought one of those machines that plays different sounds, like running water. I also brought you some lunch because I thought you might be hungry and I know how you always put us first and don't think about eating and taking care of yourself." Will explained.

"Here, let me take them one at a time and put them in their cribs. You look exhausted Frankie.", Will said as he kissed Frankie on the forehead.

When Will returned after putting both babies to bed, Frankie had her head in her hands, trying to hide the tears rolling down her face.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?", Will asked as he moved her hands away from her face and cupped her face with his own hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs.

"I don't deserve you.", Frankie replied. "You always know what to say and do to make me feel like the best mom and wife in the world, knowing I fall very short of that on a daily basis."

"Franks, look at me. You are the best mom and wife I could ever ask for. You love us so much and I see how hard you try everyday to make sure we know that. Our babies love you more than anything too and I don't even want to think about what we'd do without you because I can't do this without you right here with me.", Will said.

"If you had seen the morning we had, you may think differently. I'm not even sure Ayden and Bella like me anymore.", Frankie said, not wanting to look Will in the eye.

"Frankie, they love you more than anything. They are closer to you than anyone else. You carried them for nine months, you nurse them, protect them, _you _are their mommy. Yes, some days will be rougher than others. But the fact remains that they'd be lost without you, just like me." Will said as he kissed Frankie's tears.

Frankie put her arms around Will's neck and pulled him in closer for a kiss. She didn't know how he did it but every time she doubted herself, he knew just what to say and do to cast all those fears away. After the kiss, Frankie buried her head in Will's chest and just stayed in his arms for a while.

Will never mentioned what he saw on camera that day. He could tell Frankie felt bad enough and he never wanted her to feel like she wasn't a good mother or wife. He did, however, remind her that he would always be there for her, his partner, and would always have her six.

"Frankie, no matter what happens, we have to do this together. We're a team, remember. When you have a rough day, don't be afraid to ask me for help. That's what I'm here for. Ok, partner?", Will said smiling.

"God, I love you, dork.", Frankie said smiling back at Will. "And yes, partner, from now on, we do everything as we always have...together."


End file.
